A star when it comes to scrap
The 58 SLS is designed as "a scrap handling magnet, and it is well-suited for handling loose scrap iron and bundles," says Ken Richendollar, sales and marketing manager for Ohio Magnetics. The magnet is installed on either an overhead or a mobile crane and is the second largest in the Super Loadstar series. "We actually came out with the 67-inch Super Loadstar several years ago," says Richendollar. "This is the second in the redesign of our Loadstar series. The lifting capacity on the new model was increased by 15 percent across the board on all the different varieties of scrap, as well as the bundles that are being handled."
The 58 SLS weighs 4,900 pounds and has a lifting capacity of 3,240 pounds for pig iron and No. 1 heavy melt, 950 pounds to 2,170 pounds for No. 2 broken, and 1,150 pounds for steel turnings. In comparison, the 67 SLS weighs 6,100 pounds and has a lifting capacity of 4,585 pounds for pig iron and No. 1 heavy melt, 1,470 pounds to 3,250 pounds for No. 2 broken, and 1,475 pounds for steel turnings.
"It is comparable to other magnets in the market in terms of costs," Richendollar notes. "While we increased performance by 15 percent, the cost of the product was only increased by 10 percent. So that is an advantage right there. Then, the advantage of that 15 percent keeps compounding over the life of the unit." Because companies are able to pick up more steel with the Super Loadstar series, it allows them to move the material faster and start seeing a return on investment almost immediately because of fewer man hours to move more material, Richendollar says.
Lift all day long
According to Richendollar, "typically magnets are rated for continuous duty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And most magnets are designed for a
50 percent duty cycle. Under [those guidelines], the new Super Loadstar is designed for a 60 percent duty cycle. It runs a lot cooler than comparable magnets, which allows it to lift better all day long." He notes that heat is a byproduct of the energy produced by the magnet and as the magnet gets hotter, it loses some of its lifting capacity.
An advantage of the magnet running cooler is that "you can process more material faster so your employees aren't working overtime or working excessive hours," Richendollar notes. In addition, the magnet does not require extensive training, but operators "do need training on how to operate the magnet so that they can get the magnet into the pile of material, allow it to pick up the maximum amount for its potential and then process the scrap from there. You would probably need a couple of hours during the day and then develop your skills by use," Richendollar says. "It is amazing what these things will actually pick up.
"In steel service centers if you were to use a mechanical lifting device, then you would need two people on the ground to attach the device to the ends of the steel material," Richendollar says. "Then when the crane operator is lifting it up, those two guys on the ground are subject to any swinging action. And if the mechanical device were to fail, they are right next to it instead of safely out of the way. With the magnet, the magnet goes down, sets up against the face of something and picks it up. You know immediately if you have too large of a load for the magnet because it will peel right off and there is nobody around, underneath or in the vicinity that could get hurt."
Purchasing a scrap-handling magnet, such as the 58 SLS or 67 SLS, will allow a company to grow and use its time and resources more efficiently. A further testament to the magnet's popularity came as it was displayed at the Institute of Scrap and Recycling Industries show in Las Vegas, April 2 through 6. "The unit we took in sold immediately on the first day of the show," Richendollar says. MM
Abbe Miller contributed to the reporting of this story.
By Lauren Duensing, from the July 2006 issue of Modern Metals.
